Februry 6: The three US riders invited to compete in the 160 km President's Cup, Hal Hall, Marcia Smith and Heather Bergantz, plus Tom Johnson, arrived in Abu Dhabi with their horses last week. The horses all travelled well and have settled in to the quarantine yard at Al Wathba Endurance Stables. They have been training on the course and carefully studying the routes. All three are ready and eager for the February 7th event. Yesterday they took part in an 80-km ride (on other horses) to get the feel for competing in the UAE and the vet gate system that is used here. Aside from the incredibly windy day, everyone had a great time and finished well. Hal's wife, Ann, and their two children arrived yesterday and Heather's fiance, Jeremy, arrived last night. Skip Lightfoot, owner of Crystals Charm (Red), is due to arrive in a few days. Rumor has it that Tom Johnson has been challenged to a man vs. horse race over 80 km of the President's Cup course. No details to report on that as yet, however.

From Jennifer Nice

THE Al Wathba Equestrian Endurance Stables has a double-barreled gun pointed at the President's Cup. They are set to unleash an American raid in addition to their own team in tomorrow's 160km ride at the Al Wathba Endurance Village starting at 6.30am.

The three-member US team of the Al Wathba Stables includes two times member of the US endurance team at the FEI World Championship Marcia Smith, winner of the last Pan American ride Heather Bergantz, and Hal Hall, who has logged over 7,000 competitive miles in endurance riding career spanning 33 years.

"The US participation on Al Wathba's invitation is to add more variety and tougher competition than a normal ride. The President's Cup is a prestigious event and the foreign participation adds an international flavour," said Al Wathba director Salim Nice. Smith riding in her 13th year was a member of the US team in the World Championship in 1996 on home soil and in the 2000 event in France. She has also won the Pan American ride and the Tevis Cup three times on three different horses.

Smith will be on board 12-year-old Arabian Saamson, related to several flat race horses in the Emirates.

Tough field

"It is a tough field with the Europeans and the best of the home participants. The conditions will obviously favour the local riders for the simple reason that they are better prepared how we can be in the US," said Smith who has run a couple of marathon distances in Qatar.

"The Al Wathba Stables has been very generous to fly us to the Emirates more than 2-1/2 weeks ago that allowed the horses to get acclimatised to the conditions here as best as possible," she added. Smith has been riding since 1989 and has logged over competitive 6,000 miles. The horse she rides has been in endurance for over three years and by far is the best combination of the three American raiders.

Smith's husband, Tom Johnson, incidentally features in today's first ever Man versus Horse race over a distance of 80km at the Al Wathba Equestrian Endurance Village starting at 10am. Al Baraaq, a leading endurance horse will be ridden by Jennifer Nice. Bergantz has been riding for only three years but won the last Pan American ride. She rode a qualifier for the Al Wathba Stables at Seih Assalem in Dubai last Thursday.

"It's a new experience for me to run on the flat and sandy surface. I want to just enjoy the ride and hope for a good finish," she added. Bergantz will be on board 10-year-old Crystal Charm.

Hal Hall brings himself 33 years of endurance riding experience in his own country but his first overseas ride on eight-year-old Bogus Thunder.

The only time Hall was selected for the World Championship in Barcelona, Spain, some 10 years ago, his horse went lame and couldn't travel. "It was cold, wet and dark back home when I received the invitation. Bogus Thunder was in the winter pastures and had to cut back on his off season to prepare for the race," said Hall who travelled with US team for the World Championship in Dubai three years ago. Hall has ridden in a remarkable 27 Tevis Cup rides and was the youngest rider to win the opening endurance ride of the season.

He has completed the 160km trip 22 times, winning three times on two different horses and finished in the top 10 a dozen times.

The three Americans may be riding for the first time in the UAE but they carry with themselves loads and loads of experience to be among the leading contenders in tomorrow's third edition of the President's Cup.

BBC News: Man triumphs in race against horse

By the BBC's Julia Wheeler in Dubai
BBC Webpage coverage

Much of the UAE is featureless desert

A long-distance runner has beaten a leading endurance racehorse over a distance of 80 kilometres in the United Arab Emirates.

Forty-two-year-old Tom Johnson from the United States won by about 10 seconds despite his four-legged opponent, Al Barraq, galloping the final 16 km of the course flat out.

Rules say horses should have two 40-minute breaks

The runner and jockey had always said it was going to be a close-run thing but neither had predicted there would be only a few seconds between them after a race of five hours 45 minutes.

The plan was for the horse to take two 40-minute breaks for food and water - as specified by rules ensuring the fair treatment of animals in endurance competitions - giving Johnson an effective head start of 80 minutes.

Unlike the horse, he could eat and drink while on the run.

In the event, even though the second of the horse's breaks was cut in half, Al Barraq and his jockey, Jennifer Nice, failed to catch the runner.

This is believed to be the first competition in the Middle East, where endurance racing is becoming ever more popular.

Sheikhs of the ruling families compete both in the Emirates and abroad and take great pride in their home-grown Arabian horses being able to demonstrate such prowess.

But on Wednesday it seems it was human spirit and determination that won the day.

On Thursday, Johnson will be helping on the course in a different way when his wife, Marcia Smith, takes part in the prestigious President's Cup endurance horse race over 160 km.

This time it is just for horses.